Welcome to my Blog South Sulawesi and Wakatobi. In May and June 2012 I traveled through South West and South East Sulawesi, including Wakatobi Marine Park. Since I found it difficult to find any constructive and reliable information, I decided to create this blog for the travelers who are planning to visit these places. I hope you find everything you need. If there is anything that I have not included, get in touch with me.

Sunday, 8 July 2012

WAKATOBI Marine National Park

If
there is a tourist magnet in this area, it is Wakatobi Marine
National Park. Wakatobi and Pulau Hoga in particular are said to be a
superb diving location.

The
public-transport way to Pulau Hoga involves quite a bit of
island hopping: From Bau Bau (Pulau Buton) to Wanci (Pulau
Wangiwangi), from there to Ambeua (Pulau Kaledupa) and from there to
Pulau Hoga. It's possible to get to Pulau Kaledupa by speed boat from
Pasarwajo (Buton's east coast), but most people prefer the slower
(and safer) boat from Bau Bau. This leaves in the evening and takes
9..11h depending on weather conditions.

Our 15 hour journey from Bau Bau to Kaledupa and then to Hoga Island

FROM Wanci Wanci
to Hoga or Tomia Islands:

Head to PELABUHAN MOLA
before 10.30am when all passengers arrive from the airport

Take public speed boat
to Hoga or Tomia (to Hoga between 9am and 12pm and to Tomia between
9am and 10am)

It is difficult to
charter a boat from Wanci to Tomia without making any arrangement
before

Arrive to Wanci
Island by Plane

Wanci has a small
airport which can be reached from Makassar (Ujung Pandang) with a
stop in Bau Bau. It takes only 20 minutes to reach Bau Bau and around
1 hour from Bau Bau to Makassar. There are number of airlines that
fly – we flew with Express Air. It is a very small plane for only
around 35 people.

There is no public
transport between the Wanci airport and the Center. You will need to
take a taxi (dont take a motorbike as the roads are bumpy and not
safe) for 100.000 Rp. The journey takes around 30 minutes. When you
leave the airport, you must pay the airport tax (I think 20.000 Rp)

Wanci
(Pulau Wangi Wangi)

Wanci
has a surprising amount of hotels and guesthouses, several are along
the busy and narrow road that leads south from the harbour to the
market, others are scattered about town. Expect to pay Rp 5,000 for
an ojek trip within town.

Wanci
Accommodation (Mar-2008)

Hotel
Setiana : 13 fan rooms with attached mandi at Rp
100,000Spacious rooms, very nice and clean. TV in common
room.In the evening, a cafe / bar operates on the top
floor.Hotel guests may rent a Toyota Kijang car for Rp
400,000 per day. Drive yourself.

Hotel
Al-Azizyah2 AC rooms with attached mandi and TV at
Rp 100,0002 fan rooms with attached mandi and TV at Rp
75,0002 fan rooms with shared mandi at Rp 50,0002 fan
rooms with 2 bunk beds each (4 people per room) at Rp
65,000Clean, very spacious, a large function room covers all
of the third floorThis is the southernmost hotel in Wanci

Hotel
Rahmat IndahA large facility with 24 rooms, all have
attached mandi, price range is Rp 30,000 .. 50,000Rooms are
not the cleanest, upstairs there's karaoke. This is as close to a
red-light district as can be.

Places
of Interest on Pulau Wangi Wangi

Pasar
Sentral, the Wanci central market and also Pasar Malam (Night
Market) – selling only food and great cakes and sweet treats/

Wanci's
main harbour, boats to Bau Bau depart here

Mola
Utara, about 1 km south of the main harbour. Mola is a Bajoe Village
in Wanci – worth a visit

The "northern jetty". Boats
to Pulau Kaledupa depart at 9:00 am, the fare is Rp 50,000

Taman
Rekreasi Umum - A public picnic site about 8 km north of Wanci. Some
dilapidated wooden structures, access to the sea, lots of rubbish
there.

Caves
with freshwater springs inside

The
island of Wangiwangi is actually quite nice for a little cycling.
There are flat, hilly and mountainous areas and a good mix of roads.
It's not a big island, so one can go around in a day. This is what I
do. There are some nice beaches along the way and the occasional cave
with a fresh water spring inside. In various places on the island new
roads are being built, so by the time you read this, you should have
some more road cycling options.

PULAU
HOGA

Stay on Hoga:
20.000 Rp per person (per entry not per day)

From
the Kaledupa police station, get a permit to visit Hoga (if you don't
have a photocopy of your passport, visit Ambeua's "computer
shop" first). Then find the owner of a hut (usually Kaledupa
people, ask around). The owner will then find a boat, get the hut
ready and carry over not only you and your gear but all your supplies
(water, food, candles, oil, batteries, ..) for the planned number of
days. Then he will walk you to the Wallacea office where you register
(or get sent back if no permit from the Kaledupa police). The owner
of the hut will then return. You will see him again on your planned
departure day, when he will come and pick you up.

-
the above information might be a little but outdated as it is form
2008. We were on Hoga Island in May 2012 and we did not request any
permission to stay. We paid 20.000 Rp per person when we were
leaving.

More facts about
Hoga:

What makes a stay on
Hoga difficult is the lack of fresh water. All wells on the island
have semi-salty water that may be acceptable for a shower but not for
drinking. Fresh water is brought over from Kaledupa and filtered on
Hoga. Bottled water is an alternative.

Hoga has no shops,
kiosks, warung, restaurants. Particularly outside the season when
resorts are shut down and Wallacea operates with a minimum of staff,
it's essential to plan ahead and bring enough supplies. It is still
possible to get hot meals at the Wallacea center but should tell
staff one day early. The best way is to arrange the accommodation and
the meals is to contact them in advance and make booking (see below).

They have around 140
huts available. The setting of the huts is very nice / by the coast
line and also in the 'jungle'. Note that after the rain you may
encounter many lizards on the paths where they stay during sunny
days.

Hoga is a small island
with no cars, motorbikes, bicycles. There are foot paths in the
south-western part of the island, but the rest of it can only be
reached by walking along the beach (during low tide) or by boat.

There are about 150
huts on Hoga and these are mostly owned by Kaledupa people. Hut
owners may rent out directly to visitors and provide water / food.
Wallacea owns a few huts but may also rent out other huts and then
compensate the owners.

If you are coming for
diving then I would recommend to arrange diving with the Operation
Wallacea as they have all equipment in very good condition and they
offer re-freshers as well as the diving courses (reservation is a
must during off season). It is not recommended to go there during
peak season (Easter holidays and after mid June till around end of
August) when they receive around 200 students around the world who
come there to dive and to conduct research.

Hoga is just 2 km
from Ambeua / Kaledupa and half the distance is shallow water.
Transport between the two islands is by small motorboat (called
"Johnson"). The school boat goes at 6:00 am and 13:00 hours
(returns rightaway, is based in Kaledupa) but there can be other
boats going. The official fare for visitors is Rp 50,000 per boat.

ACCOMMODATION
on Hoga Island:

We
stayed at the Operation Wallacea resort. If you would like to pre –
arrange any accommodation and food in Hoga Island contact Ilu Rubiah
on ilu.rubiah@gmail.com

IMPORTANT:
The best time to visit the Hoga island is between October and
February when it is empty form the students, in March / April –
during the Easter holidays it can get pretty busy and therefore there
are no tourists in the resort. In June / July / August and September
– it is very busy with 200 students around and therefore no
possibility of staying in Operation Walacea resort. I would always
suggest to contact Ilu and check with her when exactly the resort is
students-free.

If
you are a diver – they can rent you diving equipment or snorkels

1
dive cost – 400 000 Rp including the equipment which is in very
good state

Meals
– 40.000 Rp per meal – you can pre-arrange every day how many
meals you want to have

Renting
a hut – 100.000 Rp per hut (50.000 Rp per person)

The
resort has around 140 huts, common area, area for diving equipment,
they have few boats, they can arrange the transport to Kaledupa and
take you to Bajoe Village too.

-
When you have a few days’ left for sightseeing it is worth while to
stay in Bau Bau at the Hill house owned by your English speaking
hosts Ibu and Pak Kasim. Their travel agency Wolio
Tour and Travel Call: +624 022 1189, Fax: +624 022 4316 can
organize interesting trips in and around the nice little harbour city
Bau Bau. The Hill house is situated in the old Wolio fortress on top
of the hill where the view is magnificent the temperature cool and
the diners delicious. From the balcony one can spot and hear lots of
birds and other wildlife. Your hosts can tell you about the rich
history of Buton – we have not had
experience with this couple – this information is from here:
http://famberv.home.xs4all.nl/geert/sightseeingtheisland.html

There
is another resort called LaBaba Resort
(none there, I think closed?) I am not sure if it is possible to stay
there any more.

The
places on the west coast of the island are accessible either by
footpath or by walking along the beach. Going further north to the
fishing village is only possible along the beach during low tide,
with an occasional climb over rocks between two sand beaches. One can
walk on past the village and reach more nice beaches until rocks
block the way. The area from the Wallacea center past the many huts
and on to the government houses is nicely done with sealed footpaths,
beyond the government houses there's no way to continue. To fully go
around the island, a boat is needed.

Wallacea
has worked out rules that make sure the activities in the area are a
win-win situation for locals, for the government, for visitors, for
the environment and for them. For example, visitors have to respect
certain rules (behaviour, dress) as not to do damage to the
environment, offend locals or reflect badly on the organization -
individuals that don't follow can be expelled / students sent back.

Then,
prices for a number of services have been fixed to avoid destructive
competition.

As
a compensation for the local communities' cooperation (a lot of
student projects involve visits to villages and interaction with
locals), a part of the income must be used to fund projects for the
benefit of these communities.

Take
a day trip to Kaledupa and visit: Visit Bajo Sea Nomad village of
Sama Bahari (Sampela) in Kaledupa, Visit Kaledyupa and see local
vawers, Walk to the TOP of the HILL and see the village of Sampela,
Snorkel in Sombano brackish water lake

Day
trip to Tomia Island? (2 hours by boat, from Kaledupa to Tomia = 1
hour)

You
can also snorkel around Hoga Island which is really spectacular. Jump
off the jetty (from Wallacea side) and snorkel/swim right of the
jetty for around 50 meters till you reach coral walls.

A
good place for both snorkelling and diving is at the jetty of the
Wallacea centre, where there's a steep drop off with lots to see just
a few meters from the beach. This is what makes Hoga so special.

HOW
TO REACH HOGA

There
are number of ways how you can reach Hoga Island. Few years ago it
was really complicated but nowadays there are many more options.

You
can fly from Makassar to Wanci via Bau Bau (Express Air – you can
book with Mr Lili cempekatravel@gmail.com
– very good experience)

The
ticket price depends on sub-class fare, start from IDR. 650,000 to
1,900,000 per one way

From
Wanci Island to Hoga Island: From Wanci airport a short taxi
ride takes you to the harbour for the 2-hour ferry ride to Kaledupa
Island where one of our boats will transfer you to the Resort (boat
around 50.000 Rp per person).

A
more economical way to get to the Hoga Island is to fly to Bau Bau
and then take the night ferry 8.30pm to Wanci, Wangi-Wangi Island
(Rp103,000), then the morning speed ferry to Kaledupa (Rp50,000) and
final transfer to Hoga Island (Rp50,000). On a couple of days each
week there is a direct overnight ferry from Bau Bau to Kaledupa
(120.000 Rp). We took it on Friday. For availability check with us
via sms/ text message: +62-852-4162-8287. When you arrive to
Kaledupa, you will arrive to Buranga and then you take ojek to Ambeua
(beautiful short journey) – around 10.000 Rp per person/per ojek

To
return from Hoga Island you will need to pre-arrange morning boat (at
5am) to Kaledupa and then take the boat at 6am or 7am from Kaledupa
to Wanci (50.000 Rp) which takes 2 hours. From Wanci you can either
take boat to Bau Bau or pane to Bau Bau / Makassar.

The PARADISE of Hoga Island

PULAU
KALEDUPA and the Ambeua Village

Kaledupa
is a bigger island than Hoga Island. It belongs to Wakatobi National
Park. On Kaledupa there is not turist infrastructure at all –
there aren't any hostels or we have not seen any warungs. I have read
that you can ask local families to rent a room. There is a fish
market in Lau Lua. If you want to rent a motorbike, be careful of the
scammers as people will charge you a lot! You can take ojek
(motorbike – kind of local taxi) to take you around. If you wish to
visit number of places, rather arrange with one ojek driver then to
negotiate each time as it might cost much more. Note, that it is not
cheap to travel around Kaledupa as people are used to turists from
Hoga Island and therefore they charge a lot of money.

In
Kaledupa, Ambeua village, there used to be Wallecea office (house)
too where you could stay overnight. There was also some Library
project but everything is now closed. Wallacea did not renew the
rental contract and therefore they do not have the office there any
more. The students came there more for social research rather than
marine – marine research is on Hoga Island.

In
Ambeua, there is a big school with a green field – it is really
nice and lively around there. Just walking around the village is very
pleasant. If you want to visit fish market, you can walk from Ambeua
harbour straight up to the hill, when you reach the end of the hill
(there is a T junction) you turn right and you walk for around maybe
20 minutes (ask to Pasar Ikan) ask for Lau Lua and its Pasar Ikan
(Fish Market). If you have a motorbike it is easy and fast to get
there.

I
must say that the villages, the roads and the houses are absolutely
beautiful on Kaledupa Island. The motorbike drives are spectacular –
very colourful!

There
is a small Bajoe Village – Sampela - just off Ambeua (you can see
it form Hoga Island). You can arrange a boat ride and they can take
you into this Bajoe village (50.000 rp per boat).
The Bajau people are
often described as Southeast Asia’s sea gypsies. Their skills as
sailors, skin-divers, and fishermen are admired, while at the same
time they are reviled for willfully destructive practices such as
fish bombing and the use of cyanide in coral reefs. You can read more
on Bajoe peope here: http://www.wayang.net/?page_id=400

Bajoe Village of Sampela near Kaledupa

How
to reach Kaledupa Island

You
can take a night boat from Bau Bau to Kaledupa (only couple of nights
a week) – 120.000 Rp and it takes around 15 hours (doesn’t stop
in Wanci). If you take a boat from Bau Bau to Wanci (every night at
8.30pm – 103.000 Rp and arrives at 6am to Wanci) and then you take
a boat to Kaledupa (50.000Rp per person). To/from Hoga Island you can
take local boat (20 minutes / 50.000Rp per boat)

DIRECTIONS
on Kaledupa Island

Kaledupa - First to the
northern end of the island. The road is narrow, steep
and most of it in very bad condition. It passes gardens and patches
of forest. Eventually reach Sombano, a tidy little fishing village
with a white sand beach.

The
southern part of the island:
Buranga, Tanome, a waterfall, Peropa, Pajam. The roads in this area
of Kaledupa are better than the one to Sombano and the ride to Pajam
area is fun. There is a beautiful view in Palea hill view over
another Bajoe village and over the Kaledupa south island. If you
carry on down the hill you will reach Peropa which is apparently very
nice beach too (we have not visited though)

IMPORTANT:

note
that not many people speak English on Kaledupa island so have some
basic Indonesian language phrases ready – to negotiate the prices
of ojeks or get directions. Bring enough water and food as you might
not find many shops. Don’t forget to arrange the boat from Hoga and
back - the last boat pick up is around 3-4pm as the tide on Hoga
island get very low and it may cause problems to reach the island.

We
were very lucky meeting Ola (hp 081-543116284)
who told us and directed us from Kaledupa to Hoga.

I
HAVE NOT TRAVELLED AROUND TOMIA ISLAND. THE INFORMATION IN THIS
ARTICLE HAS BEEN COLLECTED THROUGH A NUMBER OF WEBSITES, AGENTS AND TOUR
OPERATORS WHICH I CONTACTED. FOR THIS REASON I CANNOT GUARANTEE THE
ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS SECTION ABOUT TOMIA.

Hi Eva, thanks for this great info! i agree it is hard to find reliable posts about sulawesi, thanks for sharing.

I hope you can help me. I´m planning to travel to Sulawesi late september to mid october. it is hard to go all over the island, so we are trying to choose the best diving spot in Sulawesi.

have dived in other areas in Sulawesi besides Wakatobi? wich would you choose? bunanken vs Wakatobi..

when you were in Wakatobi, how was the coral health in the area? there was coral bleach in 2010, and it seems wakatobi area was very affected.

any island you recommend to stay? hoga vs tomia? we are looking at balancing good diving with a nice beach (not all of us are divers) we cant afford the expensive resorts. maybe you could share your Hoga experience beach/diving wise.

how long did you spend in Sulawesi? Im sure we have to drop places as it seems logistics are time consuming and probably 21 days isn´t enough.

any other advice you could give will be highly appreciated. we have about 21 days and would like to go to tana toraja, a national park for hiking (maybe lore lindu or around gorontalo), good diving and relax at great beaches (not necessarily same spot as the diving one).

Hi Ador, Yes, of course I will try my best to help you and to give you some insights:) Yes, you are right, it is hard to go around the whole island in 21 days. I mean it does involve a lot of planning and patience (hey and learn some basic Indonesian as you will need it:)I have only dived in Wakatobi and snorkeled in Bira. I have met a couple that dived around the world in hundreds of places and they said that Hoga is one of the top diving spots. What I liked the most is the walls full of colorful corals. The walls have around 40 to 60 meters I think. You can visit coral garden which is amazing and also also the ridge (which I really enjoyed). You will find there lots of small fish. Tomia island is apparently difficult to reach as there is no regular boat and if you wnat to hire one you must pre-arrange it. I also heard that there is some budget resort offering diving (maybe it is even better than Hoga, but I am not sure what budget on Tomia means:)) Hoga is definitely not expensive place to dive and to stay. I would suggest to stay at the Vallacea Operation (contact them in advance to make sure that ssomeone is there). You can ask them directly about the group / individual prices (we paid 100 000 Rp per hut / 40 000 Rp per meal / 400 000 Rp per dive incl. the equuipment). Be aware that there is only beach, no village or any shops so make sure you will bring enough money.I snorkeled in Bira but it was raining a lot so water was not too clear. And also around Bira there are currents so make sure you go with really good instructor!I met someone who travelled to Bunaken and said it is really amazing but there is nothing to do on the island. I think the island doesnt have even the beach. But diving is apparetly really amazing.People either go to Bunaken or Wakatobi. If you decide to go to Wakatobi, then stop for a night in Bau Bau – you can read more on my blog about Bau Bau – visit Nirwana beach – such a lovely place (amazing beach), you find there only locals. Then you can go to waterfalls around Bau Bau (you can swim there, but bring food and water as there are no shops). Then from Bau Bau you can take a boat to Wanci or Kaledupa. The boat to Kaledupa is smaller than to Wanci and if some of you is seasick then definitely I would not recommend as it can get really shaky:) There is a lot of accommodation on Wanci Island, you have also the market place and Patuno resort can arrange diving for you too. It is really beautiful resort (a bit pricy tho but worth to visit). You can also have a swim from Patuno Resort beach. They also rent bikes and arrange snorkeling trips. In Wanci town you can visit Bajoe village which is really interesting to see and just walk around.Kaledupa on the other hand doesnt have any accommodation and travelling around the island involves lots of negotiation and patience! Take some basic Indonesian with you as it is very unlikely you meet anyone speaking English there. I must say that it is one of the most colorful islands – just a ride by motorbike is a great experience!Just to summarise, if you choose Wakatobi – you have more options to do things – viist Wanci, Kaledupa, stay on Hoga, dive and snorkel just form shore and also you can visit Tomia (just plan ahead)If you wnat to go to Bunaken, you can only dive or snorkel there.

With regards to coral health in Wakatobi, some corals are damaged but lots of them are not. You still have colors, massive coral flowers...its just amazing (just as on the pictures)

any island you recommend to stay? hoga vs tomia? As I mentioned above, Hoga is I think the easiest, the most affordable and beautiful place to stay. It is easy to get to, you can arrange meals and accommodation in advance, make sure there is a dive guide to take you around, they have very good equipment there...so I would choose Hoga unless you have lots of time to go to Tomia (and I am not even sure how expensive it is to stay there)

how long did you spend in Sulawesi? Im sure we have to drop places as it seems logistics are time consuming and probably 21 days isn´t enough.21 days for the whole Sulawesi is not enough if you want to cover from north to south and west to east. But if you have any preferences what to see and what to do then 21 days is very good time. I was in Sulawesi only 15 days but I was focused on what I want to see and where I want to go. I stayed 8 nights in Bira except Wakatobi. I loved Bira – the beaches are amazing, we rented motorbike for 4 days and just were touring around small villages...really great experience as you see real Indonesia/Sulawesi and eat real local food:) I have made a map so just give me your email and I can send it to you (the map covers the whole area of Bira and around)

If you want to go to Tana Toraja, in my blog you can find agencies / guides that can take you there as a group. But I guess you can go there yourselves and arrange tours around there. Apparently it is very interesting. I haven't been there as I am more interested in the beaches and proper local off-beaten track routes and Tana Toraja is I think spoiled already by tourism...I cant make comments as I haven't been there, this is only my impression.

I hope I answered your questions and if you have any other questions just email me.

i saw you mentioned you flew from Makassar to Wanci with express air. i didnt find this route in their website... did you experienced the same? only the travel agent can get this route? just wondering about time tables and frequency of flights during the week

Under Useful Contacts and Websites in Indonesia (in my blog) - find information on Cempeka Travel - Mr Lili.Cempeka TravelContact: Mr Lili cempekatravel@gmail.comWebsite: www.sulawesi-experience.com He booked all the flights for us, he provided me with all flight times and prices, you pay by pay pal and the next day you have e-tickets in your email box. Everything very smooth - and no commission or any extra fees... Just email him and he will provide you with information on flights and booking as you cant book with non-indonesian credit card.

Hi Eva, thank you very much for taking the time to write, it is very nice of you. All the comments are very valuable, we might get in touch with mr. LiLi as you mention. Seems it makes life way easier. Thanks again. Happy wknd!

Hi Eva! Thank you so much for all the info you've provided here, I'm so happy that I found your blog :)I'm flying to Makassar after one week and I want to travel to from there to Taka Bone rate national park - Flores - Komodo - Lombok - Bali..if you have some useful words in Indonesian I would really appreciate!Pls email me; miicittie@hotmail.comCheers!Hanna

Eva, excellent blog - very useful to us as we're heading that way in July. I'm just looking at Pulau Wangi Wangi (Wanci) and wonder is there anything other than the Patuno Resort located on the north tip of the island? If we were to stay there, is there anywhere else to eat for instance? I'm also wondering if you stay in Wanci can you go snorkelling and are the beaches nice nearby?

About Me

Hello Reader, I hope you will enjoy my blog. This blog is for people who wish to travel to South Sulawesi and to Wakatobi. I have traveled those places and since it is so difficult to get any constructive and reliable information, I thought to share all this information with you. You find mainly facts here. If you want to know some extra info, just get in touch with me. I will happily answer you.